Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26162465›Full record

ArticleWiener klinische Wochenschrift2015

Stress-echocardiography is underused in clinical practice: a nationwide survey in Austria.

David Weidenauer, Philipp Bartko, Heidemarie Zach, Manfred Zehetgruber, Hans Domanovits, Senta Graf, Gerald Mundigler

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 43% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

David WeidenauerDivision of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
Philipp Bartko
Heidemarie Zach
Manfred Zehetgruber
Hans Domanovits
Senta Graf
Gerald Mundigler
Medical University of Vienna · AT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe wide area of application, including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, or pulmonary hypertension makes stress echocardiography (SE) a powerful, cost-effective imaging modality in cardiology. The role of this technique in clinical practice in Austria is unknown.

methodsA nationwide survey included all departments for cardiology and/or internal medicine in the years 2008 and 2013. By electronic questionnaire demographics, indication for the test, the numbers of examined cases per year, operators, and various applied techniques of SE were interrogated and completed by telephone interviews.

resultsData could be obtained from all 117 departments. In the year 2007 in 58 (50%) and in 2012 57 (49%) departments SE was available in Austrian hospitals. More than 100 SEs per year were performed by only four (7%) units in the year 2007 and by five (8%) in 2012. Physical exercise, dobutamine, and dipyridamole SE were available in 27 (46%), 52 (90%), and six (10%) units in 2007, and in 15 (27%), 52 (91%), and five (9%) units in 2012, respectively. In 2007 41 (71%) and in 2012 26 (46%) echo-labs administered contrast agents during SE. Transesophageal SE and 3D-echo was performed in one (2%) and three (5%) units in 2007, and in six (10%) and four (7%) echo-labs in 2012.

conclusionsThis representative survey demonstrates the underuse of SE in clinical practice in Austria. Even in established application fields performance is low, examination frequencies as recommended by the cardiology societies are fulfilled only by a minority of institutions.

Indexed as

Health Care SurveysAustriaEchocardiography, StressHealth Services MisuseHeart DiseasesHumansPractice Patterns, Physicians'PrevalenceUtilization Review

Identifiers

PMID26162465
OpenAlexW1166358254

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.